Dredging-machine.



PATENTED FER l?, 1903.

o. SONDERBGGER. DREDGING MACHINE.

APPLIUATIDN FILED AUG. 25, 1902.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

No MODEL.

Winexfef PATBNTBD P5317, 19,03.

No. 720,749'. Y'

7 o. SONDBBBGGER;

vDREDGIM MACHINE.

APPLUATIN FILED AUG. 25, 1902.

3 SHEETS-HIEL'GTA 2.

V1ro mum..4

TN: lmngss Pneus 90. mooumo.. wm

, DlEDiIlGrl MACHINE. APPLIGATIUN FILED me. 25;, lvsuztp Io uoD'EL. aSHEETS-SHEET s.' .ev

l/newe 1:

UNITED STATES PATENT OEEICE.

CNRAD SONDEREGGER,VOF ZURICH, SYVITZERLAND.

DREDGING-NIAICHINE.

srncrmenfmonforming part of Letters Patent No. 720,749, dated February17, 1903.

appresi@ ned August 25, 1902. 'sf-.rains 120,983. momia.)

To m17/ 11171/0711/ zit Netty concern.:

Be it known that I, CONRAD SONDEREGGER, a citizen of the Republic ofSwitzerland, residing at Zurich, Switzerland, have invented new anduseful Improvements in Dredging- Machines, of which the following is aspecication.

On all dredging-machines that have been constructed up to this date thechain of buckets has to do two different kinds of work-it has to loosenthe ground and to lift up the loosened material. This double applicationof the chain of buckets meets with no diiiicuities where the looseningand lifting up of the ground requires but a small amount of power, as insoft earth, sand, or gravel. In places, however, where the ground is ofa rocky constitution the loosening of the material requires a greatamount of power and the chain of buckets must be of a strong and heavyconstruction. weight of the chain of buckets in a great extent and makesit less practicable for its other purpose-the raising of the material.The overstraining of the machinery when Working in rocky ground resultsin heavy losses of power, frequent interruptions in the management, andcostly repairings.

My present invention is an improvement for dredging-machines thatenables them to work as Well in rocky ground as in loose earth, sand,and gravel without any bad influence on the chain of buckets.

It consists of an implement (extractor) which, working independently ofthe chain of buckets, takes the function of loosening theV ground andleaves to the chain of buckets but the function of raising the loosenedmaterial.

The inclosed drawings illustrate the improvement applied to adredging-boat.

Figure l shows a side View; Fig. 2, a horizontal projection, plan; Fig.3, a longitudinal section, partly a side View; Fig. 4, a head view.Figs. 5 and 6 show several details of the object of invention.

In the open slit rt, runnin g to the one end of the boat,is suspended ona pulley d the bucketladder i), which carries the chain of buckets c.The pulley d is fastened to a truss Ae,

placed at the outer end of the slit c. This truss has on both lateralsides of the slit a, tothe This increases the Vshaft l is mounted thechain-wheel p.

right and to the left of the cha-in of buckets, inclined stanchions(supports) ou which are supported thebearings of the extractor-laddersf. On the lower end of these extractorladders are the bearings for theextractors. The eXtractors are put into rotation by the transmission h,'t' indicating the motors which produce the power for the rotation.

The arrangement of the extractor-ladders is analogous the arrangement ofthe bucketladders, as described above. The free end of the ladder issuspended by a pulley la, which is fastened to thetruss e, while theother end is fixed to the truss in a bearing, so that theextractor-ladder can swing up and down.

Figs. 5 and 6 showa View and section of an extractor in a bigger scale.bedded in a bearing fixed to the extractorladder, are fastened thecollars or Wheels m and n. To these collars. are fastened the knives o,made, for instance, of steel. The knives being placed on them in theform of a star are curved out sidewise, shaped like the cutting edge ofa dredge-bucket. On the Bv the transmission h the shaft Z is put intorotation together With the knives.

The dredging-boat described above is 0perated as follows: The extractorsare put into very slow rotation by the powerful motors i and pressedwith Y great force against the rocky ground. The material loosened bythe knives of the extractors moves by its own weight to the lowest pointin front of the chain of buckets, by which it can then be raised. Asalready mentioned, the chain of buckets has only to remove the materialloosened by the extractors, the overstraining of the chain of bucketsand its frequent repairings, as formerly, being eliminatedl by thisimprovement.

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my saidinvention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare thatwhat I claim is 1. In a dredging-machine, the combination with a barge,of two independently-swinging frames mounted thereon, a continuouscarrier mounted on one frame, mechanism for operating the carrier, acutter mounted on the other swinging frame, mechanism for operating thecutter, and means for controlling 0n a shaft Z, em-

IOO

the position of the carrier and cutter, substantially as and for thepurpose specified.

2. In a dredging-machine, the combination with a barge having a slitformed therein at one end, of a. swinging frame mounted on the bargenear the inner end of the slit, an endless carrier mounted on the frame,mechanism for operating the carrier, a swinging frame mounted at theouter end of said slit, a cutter mounted on said latter frame andmechanism for operating the cutter, substantially as described.

3. In a dredging-machine, the combinationl with a barge having a slitcentrally formed therein at one end, of a support mounted at the innerend of the slit, a frame pivoted to said support and'adapted to projectinto said slit, an endless carrier mounted on the frame, mechanism foroperating the carrier, a support at the outer end of the slit, a framepivoted to the latter support having its free end projecting beyond thecarrier, a cutter mounted on said free end, and mechanism for operatingthe cutter, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

4:. In a dredging-machine, the combination with a barge or boat havingan open slit centrally formed therein at one end, of a stationarysupport mounted at the inner end of the slit, a carrier-frame pivoted tothe support and projecting beyond the open end of the slit, an endlesscarrier mounted on said frame, mechanism on the support for rotating thecarrier, means for controlling the free end of said carrier-frame, asupport at the outer end of the slit, a cutter-frame pivoted to saidlatter support and having its free end projecting beyond said carrier, acutter mounted on the free end of the cutter-frame, mechanism foroperating the cutter, and means for controlling the position of thecutter, substantially as described.

5. In a dredging-machine, the combination with a barge or boat having anopen slit centrally formed therein at one end, of a stationary supportcentrally mounted at the inner end of the slit, a carrier-frame pivotedtothe support and projecting beyond the open end of the slit, pulleysmounted at the ends of the frame, an endless carrier mounted on thepulleys, mechanism for rotating the pulleys, means for controlling thefree end of the carrier-frame, supports at the outer end of the slit, acutter-frame pivoted to the latter support and having its free endprojecting beyond the carrier, a cutter mounted on the free end of thecutter-frame, mechanism for operating the cutter, and means forcontrolling the position of the cutter-frame, substantially asdescribed.

6. In a dredging-machine, the combination with a barge or boat having anopen slit centrally formed therein at one end, of a stationary supportcentrally mounted at the inner end of the slit, a carrier-frame pivotedto the support and projecting beyond the open end of the slit, pulleysmounted at the ends of the frame, an endless carrier mounted on thepulleys, mechanism for rotating the pulleys, a support at the outer endof the slit, parallel cutter-frames pivoted to the latter support, acutter jourualed in the free end of each cutter-frame, mechanism foroperating the cutters, and means for controlling the free ends ofthecarrier and cutter-frames,substan tially as described.

7. In a dredging-machine, the combination with a barge or boat having anopen slit centrally formed therein at one end, of a stationary supportcentrally mounted at the inner end of the slit, a carrier-frame pivotedto the support and projecting into and beyond the open end of the slit,pulleys mounted at both ends of the carrier-frame, an endless carriermounted on the pulleys, mechanism for rotating the pulleys, buckets onthe carrier, a trough at the inner end of the slit to receive materialdischarged from the buckets, a support on the end of the barge near theouter Vend of the slit, a cutter-frame pivoted in the latter support oneach side of the slit, a cutter journaled in the free end of eachcutterframe, mechanism for rotating the "cutters, and means forcontrolling the free ends of the carrier and cutter-fram es,substantially as described.

8. Acutter for dredging-machines,compris ing a shaft, suitably-spacedplates rigidly secured thereto, and arcuate knife-blades having theirends secured to said plates, substantially as described.

9. Acutterfordredging-n1achines,comprising a shaft, parallel pointedplates rigidly secured thereto, and arcuate knife blades mounted on saidpoints and connecting the plates, and means for rotating the shaft,substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I .have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

CONRAD SONDEREGGER.

Witnesses:

M. VEITH, A. LIEBERKNECHT.

